Saira Rahman

Roadblock Title:

LLMs and Fintech: Lessons we learned launching an AI-based App

Time:

Wednesday - 1:00 PM (Tower D)

Abstract:

In Summer 2023, Fundrise made a deliberate bet that AI would not win through prompts or demos, but through deep integration with real, structured economic data. What emerged was not an AI feature but a new product line, an abstraction layer that turns US real estate into something a machine can reason about. We had many failures along the way, and new lessons that were LLM-specific that we had to glean in order to launch the product successfully. This presentation will focus on how we recovered from each major roadblock and what we would’ve done differently if we built the product again.

Bio:

Saira Rahman is a capital markets and fintech executive driving the next generation of investor access at Fundrise, one of the most recognized names in democratized real estate and alternative investing. As Vice President of New Investor Initiatives, she leads strategic efforts to expand the investor base, forge high-impact partnerships, and unlock new capital pathways in an increasingly complex financial landscape.